I received a question from a reader about the various apparitions of Our Blessed Lady. First of all, I am no sort of mariologist of theologian, so I can only answer this on a chronological and somewhat personal level. As a Catholic, I follow the strict teachings of the Magisterium on this subject: any apparition is regarded as a private revelation therefore they cannot add or taken away from the deposit of Faith that was instituted by Our Lord Jesus Christ. Consequently, Catholics are not required to believe in any of the approved Marian apparitions. Besides the historical feast days of Our Lady of the Pillar, Our Lady of the Snow, Our Lady of Walsingham, Our Lady of the Rosary, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the other approved apparitions are: Our Lady of Laus, the Miraculous Medal, and Mary’s appearances at Guadalupe, La Salette, Lourdes, Pontmain, Fatima, Knock, Beauraing, and Banneux. More apparitions, such as Our Lady of Kibeho, have been given approval by the local Bishop, but not by the Holy See. Others, which have become famous and continue to draw pilgrims, such as the reported sightings of Mary in Medjugorje, have not been given local approval or approval from Rome and therefore should not be venerated by the faithful. Here, it is extremely important to follow the directives of the Church because, as happened in the past, false apparitions can have demonic origins and may led to propagation of false doctrines or, in the worst case scenario, schism.
From my limited study of Marian apparitions, the approved ones all have certain aspects in common: Our Lady only appears to children, or simple and humble souls; she appears for a limited time; she takes on an appearance that corresponds with local customs; she has a very specific message to deliver; and her words are succinct and brief; lastly, the seers, those who witness the apparition, submit fully to the authority of the Church. As for the seers themselves, they normally went one to live rather quiet and secluded lives, sometimes as Catholic religious. Mariette Beco, the child-seer at Banneux, said: “I was no more than a postman who delivers the mail. Once this has been done, the postman is of no importance any more.” Saint Bernadette of Lourdes was famous for similar self-effacing quotes, as when she stated that she was like “the broom placed behind the door once it has been used.” Some died young or endured years of physical and emotional sufferings. The fame that came along with their experiences – was always unwanted. In the years that followed, they all tended to avoid the spotlight while remaining steadfastly loyal to the original messages as they were imparted.
The messages at each site are the most important feature of every approved apparition. In Guadalupe, Mexico, Our Lady arrived, dressed like a pregnant peasant woman, as a tool of conversion; urging Juan Diego to seek out the Bishop and see to the building of a Church on the former sight of Aztec sacrifices. At Lourdes, France, the Lady repeatedly said: “Penance! Penance! Penance! Pray to God for sinners.” During her appearance at Fatima, Portugal, Our Lady grew more urgent in her pleadings, saying to the three shepherd children: “The sins of the world are very great ... If men only knew what eternity is, they would do everything in their power to change their lives. You must pray much for sinners and priests and religious.” “More souls go to Hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason.” And herein lies the overall point that the Mother of God repeatedly expresses to God’s children on Earth: of sacrifice and of prayer for the lost and for the world. At the last officially approved apparition, in 1933, in the small town of Banneux, Belgium, Mary said: “I am the Mother of the Savior, Mother of God, Pray much. Goodbye.” That was it. The messages and sightings at this location had been very brief and the Virgin Mary only spoke in short sentences. Her messages are simple and almost childlike. For, the Lord said: “Amen I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter into it.”